Tie-plate.



R. WATANABE. m: PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 22, I916.

Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

12 MZW'ZZEZ WITNESSES AT'ro R N EY RYUSUKE WATANABE, OF GRANGER,WYOMING.

TIE -PLA'I'E.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

Application filed December 22, 1916. Serial No. 138,414..

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RYUsUKn WVa'rANAnn, acitizen of the United States, residing at Granger, in the county ofSweetwater and State of Wyoming, have invented new and usefulIniprovements in Tie-Plates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway tie plates, and more especially tofasteners by means of which the rail is secured thereto; and the objectof the same is to produce an improved tie plate whose body portion isspiked to the tie and channeled to receive the base of the rail, andwhose remaining por tion consists of a wedge slidably mounted on thebody portion and capable of being driven into place to couple the partsand later driven a little farther in case the parts become loose.Details are set forth in the following specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion ofa tie and a port-ion of the rail,showing these members as connected by my improved plate.

Fig. 2 is a plan view, and

Fig. 3, an edge or end elevation of the tie plate, showing only the bodyportion thereof.

Fig. 4: is a perspective view of the wedge element, and

Figs. and 6 are sectional views on the lines 5-5 and 66 of Fig. drespectively.

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the wedge.

In F ig. 1 I have used the letter T to designate the tie, and R is therail having a flat base B. My invention is a tie plate to be interposedbetween the base and the upper face of the tie and by means of whichthese elements are connected. The plate is made in two parts, a basemember and a wedge member, and both may be stamped or cast from suitablemetal, preferably iron. I do not wish to be limited, however, to thematerials or the exact proportion and details of parts further thanherein set forth.

The base member or plate comprises a substantially rectangular body 1,which is provided with a plurality of holes 2 at various points andthrough which the spikes will be driven to connect this member to thetie T as usual, and the upper face of this plate may be provided with achannel or channels 3 over which the base B of the rail extends. In Fig.2 I have shown the upper face of the body plate 1 as provided with twochannels 3 and an interposed rib at, but this detail is not important.Alongside the right-hand channel is an upstanding fixed flange 5extending the whole length of the plate and shaped so as to engage overthe inner edge of the base B of the rail when the latter is in place asseen in Fig. 1. Formed integral with and upstanding from said base plateor body 1 near its other side is a tongue 6 which stands slightlyoblique to the flange 5 as seen in Fig.- 2 and extends from a point 7beyond one end of the plate to a point 8 which is approximately half-wayacross the plate; and alongside and just inside of this tongue the baseplate or body carries a raised rib 9 whose face is flush with the rib l,whose inner edge is parallel with that of the flange 5, whose outer edgeextends to the tongue 6, and whose length is greater than said tonguebecause it extends from the point 7 for the full length of the tongueand beyond the same to the other end of the plate. A. companion rib 10underlies the overhanging portion of the flange 5 as clearly seen inFig. 3, and is partially ex posed in Fig. 2, and the base B of the railis supposed to be of a width suflicient to rest on both these ribs 9 and10 and the intermediate rib a and to extend across both channels 3 ifthe latter are employed. Said channels might, in fact, be omitted, orcould be replaced by a single channel as sometimes is the case in.forming these plates, but both edges of the rail-base should rest firmlyon these ribs when all parts are assembled.

The other member of this device is best seen in Fig. 4. As a whole Icall it a wedge, as that is its function. It is made of a single castingas light as may be without sacrificing strength, and its bottom planview is illustrated in Fig. 7. In plan view this element is nearlyrectangular, and I have used the number 11 to designate its body whichmay well be rounded or arched on the upper face. Along its inner edge isan overhanging flange 15 which is to pass over the outer edge of therail-base B as the fixed flange 5 passes over the inner edge thereof.Cast as part of the body and upstanding from it across both ends thereofare webs 12 and 13 affording driving faces for receiving the blows of ahammer or sledge which will be explained below. Throughout the length ofthis body its lower face is formed with a groove 16, and by preference Imake this groove dove-tailed in section so as to closely fit the tongue(5 which is given a corresponding sectional shape. The depending rib 17along the outer side of the groove 16 is plain, that is to say it hasthe same sectional shape throughout its entire length; but the dependingrib 18 along the inner side of the groove tapers throughout its lengthto correspond with the oblique disposition of the groove, or in otherwords, this rib is wider at what will be called the rear or butt end ofthe wedge which is the left end of Fig. .1, than it is at the other end,thereby leaving the flange overhanging the inner face of-this rib to-anequal degree throughout its entire length. The length of the wedgemember is by preference slightly greater than that of oblique tongue 6,and the groove 16 is closed as at 19 at the butt end of the wedge tostrengthen the rib 17. The configuration of the flanges 5 and 15 must bethat which will cause them to closely fit the edges of the base B of therail 1t, no matter what type of rail is used.

In assembling the parts, the base or body portion 1 is laid upon the tieT and not necessarily at first spiked thereto, then the rail R isbrought into position and its base B laid upon the ribs of the basemember and the inner edge thereof passed in under the flange 5, and thewedge member 11 is brought into position and the front end of its groove16 engaged over the outer or projecting end of the tongue 6 at the point7, and slid inward along the same until the flange 15 passes over theouter edge of the base B of the rail and the contact of parts producesresistance. Now with a hammer or sledge the operator drives on the buttend of the wedge or the upstanding web 12 at this point, with the resultthat the groove 16 in the wedge is forced along on the tongue 6 of thebody in amanner which will be clear. As this tongue and grooveconnection between the elements is oblique to the fixed flange 5, itfollows that the wedge in its forward progression moves laterally closerand closer to the rail until finally the base of the same is verytightly clampedunder the flange 15 of the wedge and against and underthe flange 5 of the body. I would so proportion the parts that even atthis time, when the rail is secured upon the tie plate as seen in Fig.1, the inner end of the tongue 6 is exposed as seen in that view.Thereafter, should the parts become loose as by wear or by. vibrationdue to passing trains, they can be tightened up again by a few additional blows on the butt end of the wedge which will set it fartherforward along the tongue and therefore farther inward toward the rail,and the latter will then be clamped so tightly as to minimize its chanceof creeping. This view also shows the pre-' ferred disposition of theholes 2 at this side of the body, at points where the heads of thespikes in no way interfere with the movements of the wedge.

I consider it an essential feature of my invention that the tongue 6 ofthe body 1 and the groove 16 in the wedge 11 should be of dove-tailedcross section. This detail of construction absolutely prevents the riseof the wedge off its base plate and its disengagement therefrom, assometimes occurs when the tie settles or a section of the rail risesunder the strain to which the parts are subjected. Moreover, in Fig. 3,I have shown the inner face of the tongue as inclined to a greaterdegree than the outer face thereof, from which it will be gathered thatthe dove-tailing of this element (and of the groove as well) need notall be on one side,

but in any event I prefer that it be quite pronounced on the side nearthe rail.'

Another important feature of my invention is asimple expedient whichIemploy for preventing the tie from splitting under the blows of thesledge when this device is put into place or tightened up later, orunder the strain to which the tie is subjected by the passing of heavytraflic over the rail. In Fig. 3 is illustrated what I call a fin 20cast or stamped as part of the base member 1 and depending from theoverhanging rear end 7 of the tongue 6 and rib 9, so that it does notappear in'Figs. 1 or 2. l'would make it of sufiicient thickness to giveit the strength required, and of 'sufiicient length to pass down by theedge of the tie T against which it is pressed when the plate is firstput onto the tie, and against which it is pressed yet more tightly bythe blows of the hammer or sledge when the wedge is driven into place.As suggested above, the spikes need not necessarily be driven into theholes until after the wedge has been tightened up, and at this time saidfin 2'0 stands squarely against one side of the tie. Obviously itthereafter strengthens the tie against a tendency to split when thespikes are driven, or when the wedge is driven yet farther at latertimes to tighten up loosenened parts, audit also strengthens the tieagainst the same tendency when heavy traffic on the rail follows: Ipurposely place this fin under the butt end of the tongue member 6 andagainst the corresponding side of the tie, because if it stood at theother side of the tie the blows of the hammer or sledge would move thefin away from the tie rather than agalnst it. It is quite possible tomake the fin of such length that its 1. In a tie plate, the combinationwith a base member pierced with spike holes and having along one side afixed overhanging flange, and along the other side a tongue ofdovetailed cross section with its butt end overhanging one end of theplate slightly and its body inclining thence toward said flange, andribs between said flange and tongue for supporting the base of the rail;of a wedge member having an overhanging flange along its inner edge,upstanding webs at its butt end and its opposite end, and a groove inits lower face inclining toward said flange from the butt end toward itsopposite end and of dove-tailed cross section to slidably engage saidtongue.

In a tie plate, the combination with a base member having along one sidea fixed overhanging flange and along the other side a tongue ofdove-tailed cross-section inclining toward said flange, and meansbetween said flange and tongue for supporting the base of the rail; of awedge member having an overhanging flange along its inner edge,upstanding webs at its butt end and its opposite end, and a groove inits lower face inclining toward said flange from the butt end toward itsopposite end and of dove-tailed cross section to slidably engage saidtongue.

3. In a tie plate, the combination with a base member pierced with spikeholes and having along one side a fixed overhanging flange, and alongthe other side a tongue of dove-tailed cross section inclining. towardsaid flange, and means between said flange and tongue for supporting thebase of the rail; of a wedge member having an overhanging flange alongits inner edge and a groove in its lower face inclining toward saidflange and of dove-tailed cross section to slidably engage said tongue.

l. In a tie plate, the combination with a base member having near oneedge a rail flange and near the other edge an upstanding tongueextending throughout part of the length of this member and disposedobliquely to said flange; of a wedge member having a rail flange alongone edge and a groove in its lower face disposed obliquely to its flangeand adapted to slidably engage said tongue, a driving face at the frontend of this member, and a fin depending integrally from the front end ofthe base member and over which the wedge member moves as it is driven.

5. In a tie plate, the combination with a base member having near oneedge a rail flange and near the other an upstanding tongue extendingthroughout part of its length, disposed obliquely to said flange, anddove-tailed in cross section with that face adjacent the flange ofsteeper pitch than the opposite face; of a wedge member having a railflange along one edge and a groove in its lower face oblique to itsflange and shaped to engage said tongue, the groove being closed acrossthe driving end of this member.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

RYUSUKE IVATANABE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G.

